Donor doubts over $1M reward in ex-cop Dorner case

The Associated Press

March 24, 2013 11:19 PM

The Associated Press

March 24, 2013 11:19 PM

As several people vied for the $1 million offered in the hunt for rogue ex-Los Angeles cop Christopher Dorner, at least one donor that pledged money toward the award expressed misgivings about the payout.

Ron Cottingham, president of the Peace Officers Research Association of California, said his union, which represents tens of thousands of law enforcement officers, has placed its pledge on hold pending additional information. They are not alone, he added.

"I've spoken with some groups - including a few that are substantial - that have already decided to withdraw their pledges," Cottingham told the Los Angeles Times (http://lat.ms/Yqt1HR) in a story posted online Sunday. "They said the reward doesn't fit their criteria."

During the manhunt, Los Angeles police Chief Charlie Beck and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa coordinated a $1 million reward from dozens of donors including the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Los Angeles Dodgers. At the news conference announcing the award, Beck said the money was for Dorner's "capture and conviction."

But mayor's office spokeswoman Vicki Curry said the details were never written down, leaving the criteria unclear and possibly up to the discretion of the agencies involved.

At issue was whether the award should go to anyone after the manhunt ended with Dorner's apparent suicide in a burning mountain cabin following a shootout with sheriff's deputies in Big Bear on Feb. 12.

A couple that Dorner tied up in their condominium and a camp caretaker he carjacked soon after have laid claim for the reward. Both parties claim they provided the key tip that ultimately led Dorner to hole up in the vacant mountain cabin where he died.

He killed four people, including two police officers, during his rampage across Southern California, authorities said.

Both the mayor's office and the LAPD have said they want to see the money go to someone, and said they hope to make a decision by mid-April.